Chapter 44: Crossing the Red Dragon and Going Longer
The willow color in the rising sun calls for the return of spring,
Linwei peach blossoms fly in the water.
I always go on patrol for the imperial court,
Immediately taught Jingluo Shao the glory.
Guanzhong is known as the Eight Hundred Miles of Qinchuan, but from a geographical point of view, the name Weijiang Plain is undoubtedly more appropriate. As the name suggests, the entire Guanzhong exists around this important tributary of the Yellow River... Huayin is on the bank of the Wei River
, Baling is by the Wei River, Chang'an is by the Wei River, Maoling is by the Wei River, and even Yi County is also by the Wei River.
Gongsun Xun led 7,000 cavalry, desperately heading westward, of course along the flat Weishui Avenue.
We set out from Tongguan at noon on May 20th, passed through Huayin in the afternoon, and stayed in Zhengxian County in the evening. The next morning, we desperately rushed west again, but we passed Hongmen Pavilion in the afternoon and stayed in Baling in the evening.
; And at noon on the third day, Gongsun Xun arrived at Chang'an City...
There are two reasons why this went so smoothly:
First, the journey along the way was indeed as Jia Xu said, and there was no resistance along the way. This was not only the result of Dong Min ducking out of the way, resulting in military emptiness, but more importantly, all the cities he passed along the way.
, all the officials I met chose a silent and cooperative posture in a daze.
If you want to open the city, open the city immediately; if you want dry food, deliver it immediately; if you want to requisition mules and horses, go and do it immediately... Of course, Gongsun Xun did not ask them to change their flags (of course they were all Han family flags), nor did he order them to do so.
To resist so and so, or to purge so and so, he just showed his white horse flag to show his identity, and then told everyone that this trip was just to kill Dong Zhuo in Xiwu!
In short, along the way, the tacit understanding of local cooperation was as calm as General Wei marching under the rule of the imperial court.
There must be a deep-seated reason for such success, but it is not just a simple attachment of people's hearts. In fact, when Gongsun Xun was bullying him the next night, he finally realized that Dong Zhongying was a martial artist.
Due to his background, he paid too much attention to military affairs, but ignored the bureaucracy, so that his bureaucracy could only operate with the help of the central system and authority!
In other words, the reason why these people obeyed Dong Zhuo was only because the imperial court was controlled by Dong Zhuo and coupled with force and coercion. None of the civil servants were directly loyal to him!
This discovery was of course a great good thing at the moment, but it was also enough to make Gongsun Xun secretly awaken.
Second, it may sound ridiculous, but it is true, that is, Gongsun Xun and his troops were marching too fast... The pure cavalry troops galloped along the Weishui Avenue without any military obstacles along the way. If not,
He won't even enter the city if necessary, and even the messenger can only travel at this speed.
Therefore, wherever the troops marched, there were expressions of astonishment on their faces. Everyone was surprised and suspicious of Gongsun Xun's arrival. However, under the shock and suspicion, no one dared to act rashly. However, Gongsun Xun only had to eat and rest when necessary.
It doesn't stop at all.
Finally, what is more interesting is that as Gongsun Xun quickly goes deeper, the degree of cooperation and consternation seems to be constantly deepening.
"Can you see it clearly?" In Chang'an City, someone quickly reported to the imperial censor Zhongcheng Huangfu Song who was sitting at home. However, the latter who was sitting in the courtyard studying was in disbelief and actually dropped the book in his hand to the ground. "It is indeed a white horse.
flag?"
"It is indeed the white horse flag!" The visitor kowtowed in response. It was Huangfu Song's own son Huangfu Jianshou.
"How many troops are there?"
"Seven to eight thousand people, all cavalry!" Huangfu Jianshou said quickly.
"Have you seen it yourself?" Huangfu Yizhen, who was sitting under the tree in the courtyard, asked while still feeling a little dazed. "There are Tongguan and Pujin ahead. Twenty to thirty thousand people are enough to guard more than ten thousand people. How could General Wei let General Wei
The soldiers and horses suddenly arrived at Chang'an City?"
"I don't know what's going on, but it's really here!" Huangfu Jianshou, who was kneeling on the ground, said anxiously. "The military officer stationed at Xuanpingmen is an old official of our family. He asked someone to report it to me later.
, I went to the tower to see it myself, I can’t do it falsely... Sir, do it!"
"Don't worry yet!" Huangfu Song shook his head and leaned down to pick up "The Romance of the Gods" on the ground with slightly trembling hands. "Let me ask you...how did the city wall react?"
"Of course we have to close the city gates and defend tightly!" Huangfu Jianshou immediately replied. "But in my opinion, the people on the top of the city are panicked and uneasy. As long as we work hard and capture a city gate, Chang'an City can easily
Change of hands! Dong Zhuo’s hatred for humiliating Huangfu Song many times before can be put to an end now!”
"That's not how it was calculated." Huangfu Song shook his head while holding the "Feng Shen Yan Yi" in his hand. "Dong Zhuo is still here, so there is no reason why his army suddenly disappeared. There must be something weird about this matter. If we bet wrong, then according to the
Dong Zhuo's style means that if one person is not good enough, the whole family will be in trouble. Besides, the forces in Chang'an are mixed, and after several purges, everyone is suspicious. If he takes action suddenly, chaos will inevitably arise..."
"That……"
"When people are in panic, the first thing to do is to protect the emperor and the ministers." Huangfu Song looked up at the shade of the trees above and sighed. "I will go to see Wang Situ right away and ask him, as the minister, to order the deployment of some soldiers.
Ma, go to the palace to defend the emperor, and then summon the ministers to discuss the matter."
Just as Huangfu Jianshou was about to persuade him again, he suddenly came to his senses and was convinced: "Father, this is the mature way to build a country."
"If it weren't for lack of strength, how could I be willing to fight against such a little cleverness?" Huangfu Song shook his head. "I also want to carry thousands of horses, hold a white horse flag, and travel thousands of miles from western Liaoning to Guanzhong... But now it's too late to regret it."
Huangfu Jianshou was also helpless.
In this way, Huangfu Yizhen threw down his copy of "The Romance of the Gods", hurriedly changed into serious clothes, and took his son out with him, preparing to meet Wang Yun... However, as soon as he went out, he ran into his nephew.
Huangfu Li, who had just come down from the city, brought the latest news.
"Uncle, brother!" Huangfu Li hurriedly saluted and said bluntly. "General Wei personally galloped past the outside of the city, and then ordered the sergeant to shout, 'There is only one enemy, and he is in Yi County', and then led the entire army to turn around outside the city.
We are heading north, and it looks like we are going to cross the Wei Bridge and turn to the north of Wei to march towards Yi County!"
Huangfu Song shook his head repeatedly, finally realizing it, but he ignored it, left his son and nephew behind, and went back to his house to read his "The Romance of the Gods".
For a time, there was no great chaos in Chang'an City, but people were panicked and uneasy.
Not to mention what's going on inside Chang'an City, outside the city, in the cavalry formation turning to cross the bridge in front of thousands of defenders, Xu Rong, as the chief general second only to Gongsun Xun in this raiding force, naturally has to do some things from a military perspective.
It is natural to ask for instructions.
"Your Majesty!" Xu Rong came on horseback and stood on the bridge. Then he pointed at the bridge at his feet, which may be the widest in this era.
Burn the bridge from afar as a precaution?"
"No need!" He shouted several times before in Chang'an City. At this time, Gongsun Xun, who was holding a water bag to drink water, put down the water bag and wiped his mouth. He was still straightforward. "No need to do anything, no enemy will
Coming... Dong Min, Guo Si, and Lu Bu may move, but as soon as these three people move, Zi Bo, Yuan Hao, and Yi Gong will directly catch up and chase their retreat into a rout. On the contrary, it is me.
What I want to see! As for Hongnong, Dong Jun’s troops and horses from various departments in Henan, Wenhe is in Tongguan and Boda is in Wuguan, there is nothing to worry about!"
"But what about Chang'an?!" Xu Rong continued to ask, pointing to the towering city wall of Chang'an City that was still in sight. "We inquired clearly on the way, and we saw clearly just now that although there are no strong field troops in Chang'an City, there are thousands of garrison troops.
Ma, what if someone among them who is good at using soldiers and loyal to Duke Dong leads a crowd to catch up and join forces with Dong Kili at the foot of Xiwu? Lord, we have no logistics. Once we are blocked, we will be the ones to cause chaos!
"
"No!" Gongsun Xun put away the water bag and sneered while slowly riding his horse forward. "Bo Jin, you still don't understand politics and people's hearts. At this time, those who are truly courageous and capable in Chang'an City are...
Yan, such as Wang Yun who is in charge of the government, such as Huangfu Song and Gai Xun, who have always been prestigious in the Guanxi Army, even if they are on guard against me, they will never help Dong Zhuo again... And in the final analysis, Jia Wen and this
The strategy really hit the mark, the overall situation in Guanzhong only depends on me and Dong Zhuo, so if I can block Dong Zhuo, even if I can't capture it, if I just surround him, the overall situation will tilt towards me, and it really has nothing to do with others."
Xu Rong nodded slowly... After the Tongguan incident, he really didn't dare to discuss people's hearts and politics with Gongsun Xun anymore.
However, just when Gongsun Xun was full of confidence and was about to leave Chang'an completely, the slap in the face came easily - suddenly, the gate of Luo City to the north of Chang'an City opened, and then a man riding hundreds of paces
Led by the officers, they headed straight for the Wei Bridge, which made Gongsun Xun's cavalry very nervous!
At this moment, Gongsun Xun immediately lost his temper, while Xu Rong pretended not to know, and just quickly mobilized his troops to prepare to meet him. However, Zhang Wenyuan, who was originally responsible for crossing the river and cutting off the rear, was faster than him. He saw that the opponent only had a few hundred cavalry.
, they simply did not move their troops and horses at all, and directly led the hundreds of cavalry who had not yet reached the bridge to turn around and meet them... Then they easily stabbed the opponent under the horse, and dispersed the hundreds of cavalry in front of them.
But what's interesting is that after a moment of reflection, Zhang Liao, who had returned from victory, actually came to plead guilty. It turned out that after killing someone, he found out that this Sima of Dong Zhuo's army, named Li Su, actually came to surrender and revolt!
According to the captured subordinates, Li Su was from Jiuyuan, Bingzhou, and there were many local people under the command of General Wei, so he immediately wanted to surrender after seeing General Wei. However, he initially thought that Gongsun Xun was going to enter the city.
, so he abandoned the Luocheng Gate in the north where he was stationed, and tried to open the Xuanping Gate in the east to greet him, which was a waste of time. When he saw Gongsun Xun turning to Weibei, he hurriedly pursued him again, and he was misunderstood.
Already.
Gongsun Xun and Xu Rong looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Xu Rong went to take charge of the overall situation, while Gongsun Xun comforted Zhang Liao, but he could only think that Li Su was an unlucky man, and then continued to advance with the army.
On the night of the third day, Gongsun Xun led his troops to stay in Huaili City, the capital of Youfufeng.
At this time, while the local officials were astonished, their attitude became more respectful and cooperative, and they even had a vague intention of actively assisting. This was natural. Seven or eight thousand cavalry passed through Chang'an without being attacked.
Chang'an Center's obstruction at least shows that the court's attitude is neutral!
As I said before, these local officials are dependent on the imperial system, so aside from a few people who have their own ideas, the only things that can really influence them are actual violence and the imperial court's righteousness.
Gongsun Xun came with his troops and naturally took possession of the first one. After passing Chang'an, the second thing gradually slipped from Dong Zhuo's hands and was transferred to the hands of our General Wei.
At this time, Dong Zhuo had no idea what he had lost.
On the evening of May 24th, Gongsun Xun came to Xi County and openly settled in the county town. However, he did not go to the legendary Wansuiwu overnight to intercept Dong Zhongying... However, his strategy of alerting the snake did not succeed.
Dong Zhuo stayed awake, knowing that leaving Xiwu at this time would mean death, but Grand Master Dong didn't even believe that Gongsun Xun and his seven or eight thousand cavalry had arrived at his door.
Of course, on the morning of the next day, Gongsun Xun, who had finished resting in the city, led 7,000 cavalry to Xiwu on the outskirts of Yi County, so Master Dong could not help but not believe it.
The summer was gorgeous and the sky was dry. Outside Xiwu, five or six miles north of the Weishui River, Gongsun Xun and Dong Taishi faced each other face to face again. This time, there was no longer even a Yellow River between them, only the sultry air in the air that made people excited.
"Tell him!" Gongsun Xun raised his hand and called an attendant with a loud voice. "He is gone, but because of our long-standing acquaintance, if he surrenders now, I will kill him alone!"
After hearing the words, the attendant galloped to the high wall of Wubao, and then raised his voice to spread the word.
"Shoot him to death!" Dong Zhuo stood on the wall of the seven-foot-high Wubao, his eyes bloodshot, his hands clenched, and he gave the order coldly.
The surrounding defenders did not dare to neglect, and shot down random arrows, shooting those who tried to surrender under the wall to death.
Gongsun Xun was neither happy nor angry. He just glanced at the city wall, which was seven feet high and seven feet thick, and directly ordered the entire army to set up camp and prepare for a long siege.
It must be said here that Dong Zhuo's Wansuiwu, also known as Xiwu, is tightly defended, has abundant supplies to the point of excess, and the city walls are so tall and thick that people cannot afford to attack, but it is only a fortress after all.
The circumference is only three or four miles, and there are only three thousand soldiers plus one or two thousand servants inside, and seven to eight hundred of them are beautiful girls collected from the people and even the palace.
In fact, Jia Xu's complete disappointment with Dong Zhuo stemmed from this incident - he thought that Dong Zhuo would return to Chang'an after settling the affairs in Xiwu, but he did not expect that the other's ambitions had declined so quickly. All the other heroes in the world were...
While the army was working diligently, Grand Master Dong, who once overwhelmed everyone with his military power, actually abandoned the troops on the front line and recruited beauties from behind?!
Then, I didn’t want to leave for a long time!
Therefore, Grand Master Dong’s defeat on the front line was not unjust... Maybe when talking about the war in Hongnong in the future, some people will definitely say it was because so many of Dong Zhuo’s men became traitors, and some people will definitely say it was because of his
The son-in-law is incompetent and incompetent.
These are all correct.
However, if Master Dong was sitting in Tongguan, would his two sons-in-law dare to be incompetent and angry? Would Xu Rong and Jia Xu betray him?
There is no cause-less effect in the world, and Jia Wen and Cheng do not deceive others.
"Your Majesty!" When setting up the stronghold, Xu Rong and Zhang Liao came again to ask for instructions. "There are only three thousand soldiers in the dock, but we need to be careful about Ma Teng and Han Sui. Do we need to let Wen Yuan lead two thousand soldiers to the United States?"
Yang, as a shield?"
"Even if these two people are deliberately interfering, they have to be suspicious for a while before they can make a decision. Let's ignore them for now." Gongsun Xun stood on a slope and looked around, but his eyes were fixed on the Wei River in the south. "On the contrary, Weinan...
Dong Zhuo sent a force of troops to attack Yizhou before. Although they were frustrated in Hanzhong, they stopped at Sanguan. This is probably the only enemy reinforcement that will arrive in the near future, so we need to be extra careful!"
"That……"
"Where is that place?" Gongsun Xun squinted his eyes and asked seriously, pointing to a strange but extremely conspicuous terrain on the opposite bank of the Wei River under the clear sunshine. "The terrain is quite interesting, let's find a local to ask.
"
No one dared to neglect, and soon a military officer who was from Guanzhong came forward to explain - it turned out that it was a plateau near the river, backed by the Wei River, with deep ditches on two sides, the so-called cliffs on three sides, only the south side facing the river.
There is a gentle slope in the direction of Weinan Avenue, which is a natural strategic location.
"Your Majesty." The military official talked eloquently. "The terrain here is quite high. It is about eight or nine miles long and three or four miles wide. It also has water sources, which can be enough to station tens of thousands of troops... But this plateau is too large to be used on a sunny day.
It can be clearly seen for tens of miles to the left and right, and it has always been well-known."
"It is indeed a good place to station troops." Gongsun Xun nodded slowly. "What is this place called?"
The military officer bowed his head again: "Reporting to the emperor, this place is called Wuzhangyuan. How it got its name is no longer clear."
Gongsun Xun was stunned, staring at the loess plateau for a long time without saying anything, but after a long time, he finally withdrew his gaze and looked at Zhang Liao again.
Zhang Liao was prepared and immediately leaned over to listen to the order.
"Wen Yuan, I will take you as the commander of another department, lead two thousand cavalry, cross the river and set up camp...do you know what to do?" Not sure if it was an illusion, but Gongsun Xun's tone suddenly became much calmer.
"Understood!" Zhang Liao said in a loud voice. "I set up camp on the Wuzhang Plain. Firstly, I would be condescending and monitor Wansuiwu from a distance. Secondly, if the enemy from the pass came from Weinan, I would lead my cavalry to charge directly to the plain and let them pass.
He can't even cross my camp!"
"Then do it!" Gongsun Xun nodded slowly, then ignored the other party and looked at Xiwu again.
He knew that on the tall building in the middle, Dong Zhongying must also be looking at him from a distance, waiting for the reinforcements behind Wuzhangyuan.
————I am Wuzhangyuan at an altitude of 700 meters————
"When Zhuo returned to Chang'an, all the ministers and officials paid a visit to Dao Ci. At that time, Song was the Censor Zhongcheng. Zhuo Nai ordered the Censor Zhongcheng and the following to bow to Qu Song. Then he held back his hand and said, "Is it true that justice is terrible?" Song smiled and thanked him.
After that, Zhuo Fangshi. When he returned, Zhuo heard again that Aunt Song was the wife of Huangfu, the former general who had conquered the Liao Dynasty. She was still young and beautiful, so he wanted to adopt her. Gui's wife went to worship and said goodbye. Zhuo was angry and ordered his servants to marry her.
The whip died under the chariot, and Song became more and more speechless." - "Dian Lue". Yan. Pei Song's Notes
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